The Bloomingdale Artists Association holds its meetings in the historic Bloomingdale Park District Museum. Many of the Association's shows and classes are held there, providing the greater Bloomingdale community with a greater appreciation for art, history, and culture.

The Bloomingdale Park District Museum is located in a building that was constructed in 1849. It has been in almost continuous use since that time. For the last 14 years, the Park District has hosted a series of changing art exhibitions, programs, and events in the building.

1849
Members of the First Baptist Church of Christ construct their church on the corner of Franklin and 2nd Street (now Bloomingdale Road). Prior to this, the congregation had been meeting in the homes of members for almost 8 years.

1855
The Baptist congregation out grows the building and moves into a new, larger church that was located on Lake Street, just west of Bloomingdale Road. The original church sits vacant for a few years before becoming a school.

1860
The Bloomingdale Academy opens in the building. Two teachers taught approximately seventy-five students. Little else is known about the school or the organization today.

1861
The building was officially sold to the Bloomingdale Academy of Trustees in April. In October of the same year, the building was again sold to Bloomingdale School District #7 (now #13).

1892
The Bloomingdale Township board meets at the building to purchase it at a public auction. The building officially becomes the center of the community, acting as both the Township and Town Hall for many years.

1894
A new school is built on Lake Street and Third. Students move into the new facility, vacating the building.

1910
Portable steel jail cell purchased by the township for installation in the building.

1942-45
War Ration Board operates out of the building.

1965
The building was sold to the newly-established Bloomingdale Park District for use as their first facility and headquarters. The purchase price was $1. The Bloomingdale Township offices move to new headquarters and the Park District begins offering classes and programs to residents.

1974
The Park District moves into its new facility on South Circle Avenue (currently the Johnston Recreation Center and administrative headquarters for the Park District).

1975-76
The building is renovated for use as a historical museum. The Bloomingdale Historical Society moves their collection into the building.

1982
The historical society and the collection moves out of the building and the Park District begins a series of challenging fine arts and cultural exhibitions.

1997-98
The Park District board approves a major restoration and addition project to the building. During the restoration project, some artifacts are found and major architectural features of the original building are revealed.

The original building (everything east of the stairwell) consists of one 837 square foot room that was built in 1849 as a Baptist Church. The original entrances were on the east side of the building along Bloomingdale Road, and consisted of two doors, one for the men and one for the women. The building also had a cupola on top of the roof that was removed in the first part of the 20th century. Remodeling through the years resulted in many changes to the building including adding a new floor over the original floor, putting in washroom facilities and utilities, and dividing the room with a wall. The interior and exterior that you see today are very similar to the original 1849 appearance.

One of the first steps in the construction project was to remove the tile floor and gut the building. During this process, the original floor was discovered 7 to 8 inches below the existing floor. Once the layers of tile and the subfloor were removed, the original wood floor and baseboards were exposed. Though some areas fo the floor had to be replaced, the majority of the floor was in good condition. For historic purposes, the decision was made to save the floor if at all possible, and work began to replace and repair damaged boards, and then clean and seal the floor. It was a lengthy process as the wood was very dirty and very dry and is still a work in progress. Both the floor and the baseboards are made of Eastern white pine. This is not a wood that was native to Illinois and was most likely shipped to Bloomingdale at considerable expense. The floor boards are 3/4" thick with a tongue and groove construction. The baseboards were removed during the renovation project so they could be painted and the floor cleaned and sealed. The color of the baseboard is, like the windo trim, as close as possible to the original color of paint.

The 8-foot high windows are original and one of the most wonderful architectural features of this simple building. A close look at the window panes will reveal the wavy imperfections of mid-19th century, hand-produced glass. Great care was taken during the renovation project to protect the glass and only three panes had to be replaced during construction. Antique glass from an 1850s-era building were substituted for those that had broken. Though there are grooves in the sides of the window frames indicating some type of mechanism for lowering and raising the sashes, nothing was found during the renovation project to indicate just what type of system was used. They had been painted shut years ago and never opened. The storm windows most likely are also original.

The pine window trim is also an original feature of the 1849 building. During construction, the trim was removed, painted and replaced. The color matches, as close as possible, the shade of gray that was found under layers of paint.

A portion of the ceiling was deliberately left exposed so visitors could see the roof and rafter construction and the materials that were used in 1849. Like the walls, the roof was constructed of milled planking. Where the sawmill was located is unknown, but the trees that were used int he ceiling and walls were of considerable size judging from the width of the lumber. The horse-hair plaster was attached to the wood lathe throughout the building. Through the years, all of the plaster on the walls had been removed. But some of the ceiling plaster remained. It was considerably damaged however, and only this portion was saved. PRevious renovations to the interior of the building had resulted in the ceiling being lowered almost two ffet. The current ceiling has been returned to its original height.

All of the original, wide-timber planking remians throughout the building and roof. This portion was left deliberately exposed so visitors could see first-hand the way the boards fit together and the methods and materials used in the building. The trees used in the construction of the building were fairly large, indicated by the width of the center-cut planking seen here. They were milled in the area, but the location of the sawmill is unknown. Square-head nails were used throughout and were probably machine manufactured. As many of the nails as possible were saved during the renovation project.

Due to a number of factors, many of the items relating to Bloomingdale history have been unavailable to the public for several years. Though some of the archival materials (articles, photographs, and press clippings), are located at the Bloomingdale Library, most of the artifacts are in the hands of private owners.

Recently though, efforts have been made to locate and collect these items for future use and display, and to revive interest in the historical society. To this end, the Library will be collecting and displaying archival material on Bloomingdale history and the museum will be actively collecting clothing, furniture, jewelry, utensils, or any items relating to Bloomingdale history, residents, and activities. If you have any items you are interested in donating, please call the Park District at 630-529-3650.